


This Family of Mine

by Gozzer



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Attempted Murder, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Family Issues, Fights, Gen, Human Murdoc, Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Not Canon Compliant, Past Child Abuse, Phoenix Team - Freeform, Prison, The rest of the team as well, Torture, heed the warning tho, not quite graphic violence, prison fights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:48:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24904840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gozzer/pseuds/Gozzer
Summary: Mac and Jack go undercover at a prison to break out a certain prisoner. But they don't know who it is or why they're there.
Relationships: Angus MacGyver & Murdoc (MacGyver TV 2016), Cassian & Murdoc (MacGyver TV 2016), Jack Dalton & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Jack Dalton & Murdoc (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 17





	This Family of Mine

The urgent text from Matty had Macgyver abandoning his video call with Nasha. They weren’t exactly working out with his job but they were still trying; this was going to be another set back to their long distance relationship. By the time he got into the War Room half an hour had passed. Everyone but himself was already in there. He gave an apology to Matty and waited for her to get started on the debrief. 

“An hour ago we got a time sensitive mission.” Matty touched the tablet and pulled up a picture of Lansing Correctional Facility in Kansas. Along with that came up an almost completely blank inmate file. “It was brought to someone's attention that this inmate wasn’t in the prison’s systems yet occupies a place within. No one knows who it is or why they are there. Nor how long.” 

“So, why bring this to us? Why not up to Kansas’ legal system?” Mac asked, not finding a good reason for Phoenix to be brought this problem. The other three seemingly shared the same line of thought. 

“Because it was brought to us personally. There’s reason to believe that this inmate is one of our most wanted criminals. And if they happened to be so, a correctional facility isn’t going to hold them for long. This might be our best chance to bring them into federal custody,” Matty said. That had Mac wondering. Who the hell could be in some prison that flagged their most wanted list? “Riley, get into the security system and get their blueprints. Mac you’re the one going in to get them out. Jack will have your back. We need to be in and out of there in two weeks max.” 

“This is like that cartel guy all over again.” Jack shook his head and sat on the edge of a chair. “We better not get screwed over this time.” 

“It should be fine. This isn’t a supermax, just a regular prison.” Riley tossed up blueprints for the prison. There were several buildings to work from, which meant variables and options. 

“And what am I doing for this?” Bozer rubbed his hands together and stepped forward. 

“You’re actually staying behind. You’re not part of this mission.” Matty said, making Bozer’s face fall. “I wanted you here so you’d know what was going on, with Mac and Jack going undercover.”

“Ah man.” 

It took a couple days to get Mac and Jack’s new IDs and cover stories fool proof. The next day they were being shipped out to Kansas to pretend to be an inmate and guard, respectfully. Riley had to alter some things to get Mac in the same dorm and cell with their mysterious inmate and get Jack on the same routine. There was a snag on getting visual for the “S” unit that Riley figured out but got stuck on the cellblock that Mac was going to be in. All of the cameras were off. Not just turned off, no, they were unplugged from the main systems. Jack’s first priority was to either get the cameras working again or at least figure out why they were turned off. Mac just had to meet the inmate, identify who they were, and get them to escape with him. Simple really. 

Mac was walked through the prison grounds with three guards around him. He was supposed to be Sully Kaliver, a man that was caught money laundering and evading taxes. Nobody but Jack would know different and shouldn’t pay any extra attention to him. They both had to work fast on the off chance that the person who placed the mysterious inmate there would figure out that someone else was sharing the same cell; especially since the rest of the block was empty. The cell was up on the top floor of the unit and entirely unprotected with the exception of one guard whose shift switches every five hours. It was super weird for a prison but nobody had flagged it for some reason. Which meant that their person was either useless or the one who put them there was pulling a lot of strings. Either way, it shouldn’t be too difficult to escape with only one guard to get through. 

As Mac walked through the quiet hall he looked around for the security cameras. There were several that were just unplugged entirely except for the two facing his new cell. They still blinked with light so someone had them rerouted to a completely different server. He was going to have to tell Jack that. When the four of them got to the door the little window was slid open for one of the guards to order the person inside to stand down. Then it was unlocked even without a response and he was shoved inside. He shook himself out before looking around the cell. It was like the last cell he had been in with a toilet and sink combo and the bunk beds, a single barred and grated window. There was a person on the top bunk. All he could see was a white cast hanging off the bed along with a pair of bandage covered feet, toes pointing to the floor. 

“Let’s make this clear,” a muffled voice spoke up from the person, “I will kill you. They don’t care what I do, so you are not going to survive longer than a day with me, got it?” Mac almost recognized that voice. “Deadman, I asked you a question, and you better answer it if you don’t want to be dead in the next five seconds.”

“Murdoc?” There was no way, that man wasn’t sloppy enough to get caught in some low down prison and not escape. A dark head popped up from the bed and then the man on the bunk was rolling off the bed. 

“Well, if it isn’t Angus Macgyver.” That was definitely Murdoc. More beat up and scrape covered but Murdoc one-hundred percent. He wasn’t looking his best with the scrapes on his cheeks, bruises on the rest of face, hand marks around his throat, bandaids and bandages covering his arms and feet, and not to mention the obvious cast on his left wrist. “What is the boy scout doing in here? You finally join me on the dark side?” 

“I’m on a mission actually.” That little sliver of joy in Murdoc’s eyes slipped away. It made Mac uncomfortable. “Apparently to get you out of here and into federal custody.” For a moment they stared at each other until Murdoc gave a nod and climbed back onto the top bed. 

“If that’s going to be the case, who else do I have to expect here? Jack, I’m assuming?” Murdoc sat cross-legged on the bed with a wince. His bandaid wrapped fingers laced as much as they could with one hand in a cast. 

“Yeah, just Jack. He’s on the next shift for this cellblock.” Mac moved to lean against the opposite wall. He didn’t want to be in a confined space with Murdoc, not after he killed Jill. There was no barrier between them and Mac had anger simmering under his skin about her death. He wanted to do justice but he also knew he couldn’t do so, not like he wanted. Getting him into a supermax was going to have to suffice. 

“How’d you manage that? There’s only three guards allowed to work this shift, well there used to be four.” One of those creepy smiles crawled onto Murdoc’s lips that had Mac glaring. The man dropped it and shrugged. “He was in my way.”

“Ignoring that. How the hell did you get in here? And why haven’t you escaped yet? You’re very capable of it.” The civil expression fell away from Murdoc’s face to reveal something much less friendly. It made Mac’s skin crawl. Murdoc looked like pure murder at the moment, but it wasn’t aimed at him. 

“I’ve tried, twice now. The last time ended with a bullet through my wrist and a dead guard.” The cast was lifted up slightly to be shown off. “Which was almost two weeks ago now.” 

“You’re gonna have to start explaining, Murdoc. Just start from the beginning of how and why you’re in here.” He needed to know pretty much everything to get a read on the full situation. The plan had changed the second he figured out they were saving Murdoc of all people. The man was too smart to get stuck in some little prison and then fail at two escape attempts that resulted in his injury. And a lot of it apparently, the man looked rough. 

“Oh where to start.” Murdoc hummed and got a contemplative look on his face. It didn’t last long. Unbridled rage and hurt morphed his expression into something dark. “From the beginning, you said? Well, it started before I was born most likely, with my mother and father.” Mac didn’t want to listen to an entire story of lies but he didn’t interrupt the man. “My mother was young, barely seventeen, when she met my father. They fell in love, yadda yadda, all that schmuck, got married. Father lost his job, took up drinking as an excellent hobby, became a very violent man, and started taking it out on mother. Low and behold they found out she was pregnant and nine months later there I was. Father got another job and I don’t know what mother did.”

“I don’t need your whole life story, Murdoc.” Mac sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. This was going to take forever if Murdoc carried on. His patience for the man wasn’t all that great to begin with. 

“You said to start from the beginning, so I am.” Murdoc scooted back on the bed to lean against the wall with a grimace. “As I was saying, I don’t know what my mother did for work. It didn’t matter anyway. She wasn’t happy with her little family or job. Of course, neither was father apparently. I didn’t know what was going on until I was around four or five. She did her best to keep it under wraps, but I was a curious child. And, well, I’ll save you all the gory details.” Mac had heard him say the same thing in relation to his father once before. He had thought it was another lie, but maybe not. “I wasn’t quite spared from him but mother tried her best. Then she left. Skipped out on me when I was eleven and then it was just the two of us.”

“You don’t have to tell me.” He knew it was probably hard to talk about something like this, even for someone like Murdoc. The man dropped his hands back into his lap and just shrugged. 

“Moving on then.” Murdoc almost had a fond look on his face by his next thought but he wiped it away soon enough. “Cassian was asking about our family about a month and a half ago, at the start of his school year I think. And it got me thinking. So, I took a little jaunt down memory lane, I guess you could say. Came home, went looking for my old man. I have a bullet with his name on it but I was going to save it until I knew what he was like in his old age. Turns out he’s the exact same, who would’ve guessed.” He shrugged and tossed his hands up. Mac got an uneasy feeling about how and why Murdoc was in here. “Ah, so you do have an idea then. Yeah, daddy dearest works here, head of security. And according to him, I’ve got almost twenty years of beatings to catch up on. We’re still in the first month.” 

“Okay, let me get this straight. Your father is a violent drunk that is the head of security for this prison and somehow got the best of you? Murdoc, you’re the most paranoid criminal I’ve ever met and you’re smart too. How the hell did he get you in here? You’ve got away from us several times in the past.” Mac couldn’t quite wrap his mind around this. It just didn’t seem real or truthful. 

“Well thank you.” Murdoc gave him a grin as he accepted the compliments. “But you can’t honestly believe I’d be out done by one man? Father has some friends in low places and lots of strings to pull. He found me in a hotel room.” There was another nonchalant shrug. “I was on the phone with Cassian and someone shot me with a tranq. I woke up several hours later here.” 

“And your escape attempts? Why’d they fail?” 

“First one I tried I nearly made it past the outside gate. I stole my father’s credentials and his passcodes then made my way through the prison. It was so easy, but what I didn’t know was that each time I used a passcode an alert was sent out. Father waved them through and I got to the gate. Then I was brought back here.” There was something more to that story but Murdoc didn’t seem inclined to share it. “The second, I stabbed my guard after tricking him into opening the door. Made it through most of the building, went out a laundry building window, climbed to the closest building to the fences, I was so close. Then the dogs started barking and alerted a guard. They have terrible aim by the way. Bullet went clean through my wrist, breaking the bone, and another nearly hit my leg. I was in surgery for quite a few hours apparently. I passed out around the time a guard was getting to me.”

“Alright, so that second plan would’ve worked.” Mac followed the building’s blueprints in his mind while adding in Murdoc’s plan. All they really needed to do was find a way to get over the fences before the dogs notice. And he already had a few ideas. “We’re on a time limit here, so we should be out of here by tomorrow hopefully. Your plan was actually a good starting place.” 

“Glad you think so, boy scout.” It got quiet in the cell as Mac moved to sit on the bottom bunk to continue coming with a plan. There was movement above him that told of Murdoc laying back down; on his stomach apparently as a cast fell over the edge of the bed. This was going to be a very long twenty-four hours. 

Since it had been nearly dinner time when Mac was brought in, it wasn’t more than a couple hours until the two of them were being forced out of the cell. Murdoc snarked at the guards while Mac kept quiet. Idle threats fell from Murdoc’s lips that were ignored just as much as his useless comments. It didn’t get him anywhere. Mac was ready to strangle him when they were let free of the guards. The chow hall, as it was called, was almost exactly like the last prison he had been in. He studied the area and those in it as he walked with Murdoc. All of the inmates moved out of the assassin’s way without a word of protest or fight. It was odd but not if one knew how Murdoc operated. Clearly he was the top dog in this place. Which meant sticking close to him was a good idea, or should have been. 

Their movement through the hall and line for food had whispers going around. Apparently nobody was allowed near Murdoc, lest he hurt them or they had an ‘accident’ during work. Murdoc was more than the top dog here, he was the ruler. Which Mac wasn’t surprised about at all. Nor did it really surprise him when that got him attention, a lot of unwanted attention. The two of them sat down at the same table because there was no way in hell he was going to let Murdoc out of his sight. Murdoc was chattering on about something Cassian had done over the summer - which Mac was a little interested in if he was being honest - when a hand landed on Mac’s shoulder. Fingers tightened painfully. 

“Who’s this? We didn’t hear nothin’ about a new inmate.” Murdoc cut his story off as a cold look came over his face. He stared at the person behind Mac with an odd glint in his eyes. “Daddy bring you a new pet? You killed the last one, didn’t you?” 

“Oh, I’ve killed plenty of my  _ pets. _ ” The last word had a sick feeling attached to it. “Would we like to add your name to the list?” Silence filled the hall. Mac took a quick glance around to find everyone watching them. Even the guards. “Remove your hand or you will lose it.” The grip on Mac’s shoulder grew tighter, the fingers digging sharply into his skin. 

“So this one's special, is he? Daddy must be spoilin' you, let’s bring you down a few notches.” Mac was forced to his feet if he wanted to stay upright when he was yanked backwards. Another set of hands grabbed his arms and held them behind his back. 

“Look, guys, we don’t need to do this.” Mac started, not wanting to get into a fight. He was cut off by a punch to the stomach that had him leaning forward and wheezing. 

“I thought you were smarter than this, David.” Murdoc’s voice was full of mock disappointment and false cheer. There was movement that signaled he got to his feet. Mac lifted himself back up to find Murdoc standing in front of him and whoever was holding him. “We all know what I did to you a couple weeks ago, do we need to repeat that?” 

“So he is somethin’ to you.” A tall well built man stepped in front of Murdoc. There was a healing wound on the entire right side of his face. Whatever he had done to warrant Murdoc’s wrath obviously wasn’t enough to make him keep his distance. “I always did like the blonde ones.” 

There was a quiet pause after the words. Mac didn’t want to know what they meant even if he had a disturbing guess. But it was enough to provoke Murdoc. A fist hit David right on the bandages then a plastic spork was being stabbed into his neck. Mac struggled out of the hands holding him with a swift kick to whoever was behind him. He had to stop Murdoc before he killed that guy. The spork broke with part of it still stuck in the man’s neck but it gave Murdoc a perfect weapon. Someone grabbed the back of Mac’s shirt and pulled him back into a headlock. He jabbed an elbow back to try and loosen the grip while he watched Murdoc punch David in the face again. Before he could do anything Murdoc drove the broken end of the spork up through the soft spot under David’s chin. Blood spurted out and covered Murdoc’s face and chest. 

“Murdoc!” Mac broke out of the headlock just as a different inmate lunged for Murdoc. The guards started yelling for them to break it up and pushing their way through the crowd to get to them. Murdoc spun around to face his new opponent with frightening accuracy. “Will you stop!” 

“Mac.” A rough hand grabbed his arm and pulled him backwards from the crowd. He found Jack’s face close to his as they went through a ‘normal’ routine. “What the hell is going on? I leave you alone for a minute.”

“We’re breaking Murdoc out. That’s who we’re after.” Mac was spun around and pushed against a forgotten table. “Some guy David made a threat and I’m pretty sure Murdoc was trying to kill him.” He nodded to where one of the guards was holding a rag to David’s chin as another called for the nurses. Jack whistled a low note at the sight. 

“Damn, what’d he do to get that kind of violence?” Before Mac could answer there was a cry of pain. Both of them looked over to where a fight was still trying to be broken up. Murdoc somehow got his hands on another spork and just stabbed his opponent in the eye. “Do we really have to save him? I say just leave him and ditch, tell Matty it was a bust.” 

“Look-” 

“Dennis!” A fury filled shout cut through the noise in the hall. Everyone but Murdoc turned to see who had entered. A tall man with graying brown hair was making his way through the parting crowd. Murdoc pulled the spork out the guy’s eye as the new man moved towards him. 

“Looks like daddy has come to collect the wayward child,” one of the inmates whispered. 

“Dennis, drop the weapon.” A gun was drawn out of a holster but not taken off safety. Murdoc still didn’t make a move. Even from a fair distance Mac could see how tense Murdoc was. “Don’t make me tell you again, boy.” 

“Do it. I move faster than anyone else in this room.” His words were slick and cold. The grip on the spork tightened as if he was preparing for something. “What’s wrong? You scared?” If Mac had a doubt that Murdoc was an assassin it would have been wiped away then and there. He had never heard him this calculated and emotionless. 

“Dennis.” Murdoc whirled around and was up on his feet in half a second, swinging his weapon at the man. Only to get pistol-whipped. Hard. He stumbled back a step and the spork slipped from his grip. The man switched his grip on the handgun to where he was grabbing the barrel, for a better blunt weapon no doubt. Then he swung it at Murdoc again. Who was already dazed and injured and took the hit straight to the face, again. That wasn’t enough to knock him down but the third strike to his jaw was. Murdoc tripped over his own feet and went crashing to the floor. Blood dripped down his face from his nose and the new scrapes on his cheeks. 

“Jesus.” Jack let go of Mac and his hand went to his own gun. “Who the hell is that guy?” He kept his voice at a whisper so as to not draw any attention. 

“My guess? Murdoc’s dad.” An incredulous look was turned on him. “He’s head of security here, he’s why Murdoc is even here to begin with. According to Murdoc this is the start of a twenty year beating apparently.” It made Mac a little sick to think about. 

“One of you, get him up. Bring him back to his cell.” The man gave Murdoc a disgusted look before walking away. Murdoc laid on the floor with his cast covered arm over his face, no doubt getting blood on the white plaster. Then he was rolling over and pushing himself up on his knees. 

“I’ll grab him.” Jack called out to the other guards while leaving Mac’s side. He moved through the inmates to get to Murdoc’s side and bent down to wrap an arm around his shoulders. “Let’s get you up, ‘Doc.” Murdoc didn’t say anything and just kept a cool glare on his face as Jack helped him out of the hall. 

Mac didn’t know how to feel about this new development. He had believed Murdoc’s claims about his father but he hadn’t thought that it would be so public in a place like this. What that man had done was obviously just a taste of what he could do and would do to Murdoc if they stayed here. That was a vicious attack. The man hadn’t even given Murdoc a breather or chance to stand down before hitting him again. Both of them were full grown men and Murdoc could definitely take a hit; but Mac couldn’t help thinking about a child that had faced that kind of violence growing up. Had Murdoc’s father even pulled his punches when he was young?

When Mac was brought back to the cell by a different guard he passed Jack on the way. There was an uneasy and sick look on his face. He stopped Mac’s guard to keep him by his side. As he was about to ask what was going on there was a shout of pain from the cell. It had Mac moving for the door before Jack caught his arm. He was about to turn on him when the door opened. And out stepped Murdoc’s father. Fixing his belt and wiping blood off the shiny belt buckle. The man looked up from his work to find the two of them watching him. 

“Someone’s gotta teach that boy a lesson.” A bloody rag was stuffed into a back pocket as the man walked towards them. “Dennis has always been troubled, I was hoping with his age he would grow out of it.” The man stopped just in front of them. A little too close to be acceptable in public settings or with strangers. Mac wanted to punch him. “I’m Chris Montgomery, head of security. Now, what’re you two doing in this cellblock?” This was definitely where Murdoc learned his creepy factor from. 

“Bringing this punk back to his cell,” Jack said. It was tight and obviously strained. Montgomery lifted his eyebrows at them. 

“No one else is stationed here.” 

“He was brought in this afternoon, new shipment.” Mac kept his mouth shut as Montgomery looked him up and down. He felt a little violated afterwards. This guy was seriously messed up in the head. Murdoc really had been cursed with the short end of the stick for family. 

“Hm, you are his type.” Montgomery leaned back to study him again. “He’s always been into blondes. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to drag him home from some back alley and the poor blonde that had caught his eye. Never the same one twice.” There was almost a wistful tone in his voice as he spoke of his son. It made Mac very uncomfortable, that was more than just a father reminiscing. “He never could pick just one, not like his old man. Dennis is definitely his mother's boy.” 

“Well, as eventful as this is, I’d like to get some sleep.” Mac said before Montgomery could carry on painting a disgusting and heart-breaking picture. The man’s features sharpened at his words. 

“Of course, I’m sure Dennis is already asleep. He gets tired out easy.” Montgomery gave them a nod before carrying on down the hall. Jack pulled Mac towards the cell door but didn’t open it until they were sure Montgomery was gone. Then the door was pulled open and both of them entered. 

The cell was a mess. A fight had obviously taken place that resulted in the bunk beds being turned over and the beds ended up on the floor. Blood decorated the room and the white sheets. In the middle of the mess was Murdoc. He was on his knees with his head pressed to the concrete and his arms over the back of his neck. The jumpsuit all the inmates wore was stripped down so he was just in the pants with the rest sitting on the ground around him. His bare back was exposed to the world. There was too much blood to see what was most pressing to take care of and what wasn’t covered in blood was covered in bruises. Every inch of the man was messed up. Mac cursed under his breath and got down on his knees next to the man. Jack moved to the bed sheets while Mac reached out for Murdoc. It was clear he was passed out when he didn’t so much as twitch when Mac’s hand brushed his arm.

“I hope you’re making bandages out of that,” Mac said. He was gentle in removing Murdoc’s arms from their protective cocoon. When he got them placed on the floor he noticed what he was protecting. It was a tattoo. A baby’s foot print with a birth date underneath.  _ Cassian _ was written in elegant cursive above it. He had been protecting his memory of Cassian or hiding it from Montgomery. Mac had a feeling the man didn’t know about Murdoc’s son or really what he was. If he did then there was no way he would even try this. Because there was no doubt Murdoc was going to get that bullet ready. 

“You find something?” Jack joined his side with several shredded white sheets, a few of them were soaked with water. He glanced down at the tattoo and hummed. “You know, if he wasn’t some psycho assassin he’d probably be a pretty good dad. He seems dedicated enough.” 

“Maybe, but he’s not going to get that chance.” Mac took one of the wet cloths and wiped down Murdoc’s shoulders gently. They needed to clean away the blood before it dried too much. The two of them worked in silence to clear Murdoc of his blood and then bandage him. It was obvious that that belt really had been used on him. His back was a gross sight of ripped skin, jagged lacerations, and old scars of the same type. “Help me get the frame back up.” They set the frame in its rightful place but didn’t put the beds back. It was best to not move Murdoc too far. 

“Alright, I’m gonna have to disappear. Riley and Matty are no doubt waiting for an update.” Jack helped move Murdoc onto one of the beds and down on his stomach before standing. “I’ll keep quiet about this for now, but we’ve gotta get out of here tomorrow.”

“Agreed. When he told me about this grudge his father had I didn’t think it was this bad.” Murdoc was pale and shivering underneath both of the blankets. He had lost a lot of blood and taken a serious beating that had to have lasted the couple of hours Mac was gone. And he had fought back, despite not being in a fighting shape. “Whether I have a plan or not, we’re getting out of here. There are strings to pull to get us all out of here if things go sideways.” 

“Oh yeah, Matty won’t let it come to that.” Jack hesitated at the door but disappeared out of it with a goodbye. With the door closed and locked for the night, Mac finally relaxed. Murdoc was a grown man and highly trained killer and had taken care of himself for several years, but Mac doubted he’d been this low in a long time. Beaten down and trapped despite efforts to free himself. It was a rocky road to travel down especially when one’s captor was also their childhood tormentor. He was a strong man but Mac didn’t know how much was still standing after this or was going to be standing if they didn’t make it out of there tomorrow.

The next morning Murdoc was already awake. Mac woke up to find him taking the sheet bandages off. It was a gruesome sight. His entire back was ripped to shreds and looked worse after a night wrapped up. But Murdoc moved like the wounds weren’t even there. Clearly he’s done this before. Their morning was quiet as Murdoc ignored him in favor of finding his discarded shirt and putting the jumpsuit back on properly. When the guards got them for breakfast Jack was among them. He wasn’t exactly subtle in checking on Murdoc periodically. With each glance to the side Murdoc would give him a glare and seemed to be getting more annoyed. It never got to that point as they were released into the chow hall. 

Like dinner the inmates parted for Murdoc and now himself. They went through the motions and sat at an empty table, but this time no one bothered them. Obviously almost killing David and blinding that other man had been enough to keep everyone back once again. The entire breakfast was quiet between them. When breakfast was done Murdoc was approached by one of the guards; he had a call apparently. Mac carried on through the day with his planning while waiting for Murdoc to finish his call. Nearly an hour went by before Murdoc was coming back into the cell; looking ready to commit murder. The second the door was closed he started pacing and breathing out curses. Mac kept as much distance between them as possible until he calmed down. It took another hour. Then he was dropping to the beds on the floor and putting his head in his hands. 

“We’re getting out of here tonight, boy scout.” Mac looked up from the sheet he was tying in a knot. 

“Yeah, that was the plan, but if that doesn’t work we’ll get Matty to do it for us.” Murdoc lifted his head to meet Mac’s eyes with fire burning in them. Unlike any Mac had seen before. It was fierce and protective and pissed. 

“Tonight, I don’t have time to waste on legal actions.” 

“Got somewhere to be?” Mac had to catch the hand reaching out for his collar. Murdoc leaned into his space with a snarl on his face. 

“Someone has my son, Macgyver, and I am not going to wait to find him.” Letting go of his wrist, Mac gave a nod. They were going to have to make a detour in getting back to the Phoenix then. He wasn’t going to let Murdoc out of his sight after they escape and he wasn’t going to let an innocent child be killed; because that’s what is most likely to happen if Murdoc didn’t get Cassian back. 

“Okay, we’ll be gone tonight. And we’ll get your son.” Murdoc remained quiet after that. He didn’t move from where he sat on the bed or say anything. 

Even as lunch went by and they were brought back to the room he refused to speak. Mac kept a careful eye on him in case he tried something. But eventually he had a couple questions he wanted to ask, so he couldn’t let the quiet carry on. It was nearly dinner time and Murdoc was laying on his stomach on one of the beds while Mac sat cross-legged on the other next to him. He knew Murdoc wasn’t asleep as he tapped on the floor in a specific pattern; some song beat that he couldn’t identify.

“You don’t have to answer, but I really gotta ask. Did you ever try to find your mom?” The tapping stopped for a moment before starting up again. It was a different beat but Mac still didn’t recognize it. When the silence carried on he figured Murdoc had no plans of answering and went back to doing nothing like he was before. 

“I did.” Mac looked back over but Murdoc still had his eyes closed. “I was twenty and just finished my first official year in whatever army it was, before I was introduced to Helman. The money I had saved up allowed me to search and find her. It took a couple months but I found her living in Bali married to some rich Indonesian man.” There was a pause in his words that was followed by a quiet laugh. “She had a two year old daughter. Obviously it didn’t bother her by what she left behind. I wanted to kill her. I was in Bali, had the opportunity.” Finally Murdoc opened his eyes but only stared at the concrete in front of him. “Kept tabs on her, of course. She had another son three years later.”

“They’d be-” 

“Eighteen and thirteen, yes, I know the math.” Murdoc sat up with a wince and curled his legs underneath him, facing Mac. “This little trip has got me thinking. I mean, Cassian started this anyway, so why not go the whole way, meet up with the mother too. I can almost imagine what her face would look like. The guilt and shame and sadness and blame at seeing what her son has turned into. To see if she even regrets her decision.” A little smile came to his face at the thought. Mac wanted to be disappointed and disturbed at Murdoc’s words, but he could only relate. He had wanted all the same things once upon a time for his father. “But if I do that, then I might as well meet the siblings. And Cassian used to ask about grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. Hm, maybe, maybe.” 

“I think it’s a good idea.” Murdoc looked at Mac with an odd expression on his face. “If you cooperate with Phoenix we could probably get something arranged. For you and Cassian.” 

“I might take you up on that, boy scout.”

The cell got quiet again. Murdoc went back to his thinking while Mac did the same. Dinner came and went and they still waited for lights out to act. Jack was on shift for the night so they could get their plan started and completed easy enough. Or they would have. If Montgomery hadn’t decided it was torture my son hours. The door creaked open just as Mac and Murdoc were about to call out to Jack. Both of them paused and stared at the figure standing in the doorway. Montgomery was a tall man and well built for being in his late fifties, so he blocked the path out of the room. The lights were still out in the cell but the hall ones cast enough light to give the man a long shadow over them. It was quiet as all three of them decided what to do. Then Montgomery was laughing and undoing his belt. 

“Stand down, boys. Especially you newbie, I’m only here for Dennis.” Murdoc snarled at the name and stepped forward. Mac reached out to catch his arm before he could do something to jeopardize their plan. 

“Murdoc…” He kept his voice just loud enough for Murdoc to hear. “We can subdue him easy enough if we plan this.” Neither of them had weapons and Montgomery had a gun on his hip within his distance. Murdoc didn’t move but kept his glare on the man. “I’ll go straight for him, you take the side with the gun. And please don’t take it.” 

“I know what you two are planning.” Montgomery left his belt and pulled out his gun. The safety clicked off just as Murdoc pulled out Mac’s grip. 

“Jack!” Mac shouted for the man the second Murdoc closed the distance between himself and his father. There were footsteps down the hall and Mac moved forward to help in putting Montgomery out of commission. But Murdoc wasn’t looking to knock him out, Mac knew he was going for blood. 

Murdoc must have been holding back in the chow hall because in the time it took for Mac to call for Jack and step forward he already had the gun in his hands. A shot rang out along with a cry of pain and Montgomery sinking to his knees, hands covering his crotch. Blood seeped through his fingers to drip on the concrete. Another bullet went through his right shoulder then his left in quick succession. Mac wanted to stop Murdoc but he knew the gun would be turned on him the second he tried. 

“You know, I’ve had plans of killing you for nearly twenty-five years. I used to think up scenarios each night after you finally passed out, where I’d get a knife from the kitchen and gut you. You got so bad I nearly did it too. But then I had a thought, like any other  _ child _ , about what would happen. So I didn’t.” Jack got to the door but Mac shook his head when he started reaching for his own gun. As horrible as this was, Murdoc needed this closure. “I let you carry on but that just wasn’t enough for you. Oh no, I looked too much like her let it go.” The gun was lowered to shoot Montgomery’s hands where they still covered his junk. “But I got free of you. It took nine years but I did. And I’ve had a bullet waiting for you ever since.” Murdoc stepped forward to press the barrel of the gun against Montgomery’s forehead. “When my son was born I almost went looking for you. To make sure you’d never get the chance to meet him. I used to be scared of touching him, that I’d turned out like you. Do you know how much it takes to scare a sociopath?”

“S-son?” Pain laced the question from Montgomery’s mouth. Murdoc’s snarl came back but Mac could just barely see the tremble in his hand. 

“He’s not even going to know your name, Montgomery.” The final gunshot rang out and Montgomery fell back dead. For a moment nobody moved then Jack was reaching out for Murdoc’s arm.

“As cathartic as that probably was, we’ve really gotta move. So pack it up, ‘Doc.” Mac put a hand on Murdoc’s shoulder and nudged him towards the door. The man dropped the gun to his side before leaving the room. Jack shared a look with Mac and all three of them were moving for their escape. 

It was early morning when Mac and Jack finally got a call to the Phoenix. Murdoc was in the back of a stolen car doing something on an equally as stolen phone. Jack was driving to the nearest airport, well KCI wasn’t exactly the nearest but it was commercial at least. They just had to hope there was a flight to wherever they were headed. Mac brought everyone left behind up to speed on what was going on and why they weren’t coming home yet. He didn’t say anything about the beating Murdoc received but he did tell Matty that the head of security was dead. And he knew Riley was going to look the man up to figure out why Mac wasn’t telling the entire truth. He had never been a great liar. Murdoc spoke up in the middle of a sentence to tell them they were heading for Colombia. Then he said that he already checked all the flights at the nearest airports and Jack had guessed correctly on which one to head for at the start thankfully. Matty wasn’t exactly amused about their detour but she didn’t try to stop them, and that was the closest they would get for a go ahead. 

They waited three hours at the airport after stopping by a safehouse Murdoc had in the city. He needed proper credentials to leave the country. Mac and Jack agreed to keep quiet about it for the time being; it wouldn’t get them anywhere to argue. The flight to Colombia was six hours and then another three hours to drive to Medellin. The coordinates sent to Murdoc gave a specific place and time to be there by. He had filled them in on who had Cassian during the flight, so they had an idea on what they were heading into. But they still had a several hour drive. 

“You remember that mangy dog we found the last time we were here? The one we were pretty sure had rabies?” Jack asked, tapping out the beat of the song playing on the steering wheel. Mac had to think for a moment. That had been a few years ago and they hadn’t had a reason to come back. 

“Yeah, you tried to bring it home.” 

“He reminded me of a dog I used to have, I told you this. We were told no though.” There was a noise from the back seat that sounded like an aborted laugh. Mac turned enough to look at Murdoc. He was watching the world go by outside the window. “You think that’s funny? Well what about you, ‘Doc, you ever have any pets? That you didn’t kill.” Murdoc looked away from the window and at Jack. The look on his face had Mac frowning. 

“Kill? Are you still hung up on the pigeons?” Jack glanced at Murdoc through the mirror but only shrugged. “I made up that story, I’ve never had birds. In fact I only ever had one pet. A cat my mother brought home for me from somewhere.” A dark look came to Murdoc’s eyes before he looked back out the window. “Mittens is what I called her. She was still young I think, not even a year if I remember what mother said. Little black thing.” Mac thought the story was going to end there after a moment of silence but Murdoc carried on. “My father didn’t want any animals, or pets. Mother tried to convince him to let me keep her, said that I need a friend or something. He didn’t agree with that. I was pulled aside and given an ultimatum. Get rid of Mittens myself, since mother wasn’t going to do it, he didn’t care how. Or he was going to take care of her.” Murdoc talked with his hands, Mac had long since figured that out, but for once his hands were still. When he looked back at them there was something written on his face. 

“I didn’t want to get rid of her, so I didn’t. Two days later and father took me out in the backyard where a cat carrier sat in the middle of the grass. He told me that since I hadn’t gotten rid of her on my terms, I was getting rid of her on his.” Finally Murdoc’s hand came back into play with his talking. They were open until his right curled like he was holding a gun. “He took out the AMT Hardballer he kept in the safe and put it in my hands. That was the first time I’d ever held a gun. And he took my hands and made me point the barrel at Mittens. We stood out there for hours because I refused to pull the trigger. He said we weren’t leaving until I killed her.” He dropped his hands again after making a shooting motion. “It was dark by the time I finally did it. She had been crying for so long and I wasn’t allowed to move. Once she was dead I don’t think I left that spot until mother pulled me into the house. I was five. Never went near another animal after that.” Silence filled the car as Murdoc leaned back in the seat and went back to watching out the window. 

“I’m sorry, man, you didn’t have to answer,” Jack said. Mac could tell they both believed the story despite the fact that it came from Murdoc. It felt very real when he talked unlike most of the other stories he had told. 

“It’s why I won’t let Cassian have a pet. That and I’m never home.” Murdoc stretched out his limbs the best he could in the back seat and folded his arms behind his head. “He’s been wanting one for years now. A dog mostly. I’ve told him no, he still asks every chance he gets. Even when he’s at school. He thinks that if he begs for long enough I’ll give in.”

“Why didn’t you? What would be so bad about a dog?” Mac turned in the passenger seat to look at Murdoc. The man was staring back. 

“Oh, nothing is bad about a dog. Or a pet really. It’s the fact that neither of us can take care of it. I’ve tried explaining it to him, with him at school for nine months out of the year and I’m just never home, there’s no one to take of the thing.” Murdoc shrugged and didn’t go on. 

“Wait, wait.” Jack glanced back at Murdoc then at Mac with a confused expression. “How do European schools work? Why is your son gone for all nine months of the school year?”

“Boarding schools, Dalton. The students live in dorms and come home for the summer. It’s easier for both of us,” Murdoc answered. They all got quiet after that. That was the most they had learned about Murdoc’s childhood and how he was raising Cassian. Mac had to give him credit, he was trying to do it right while also making sure to not step into his father’s shoes. It was more than Mac expected before the last couple of days. 

The sun was lowering in the sky by the time they reached the coordinates. It was an abandoned factory. There was a single SUV parked in the middle of the street waiting for them. Jack stopped their rental several feet away and the three of them climbed out. Murdoc palmed the gun he had stolen but didn’t take it out yet. It was a tense silence as they waited for Liu to get out of the SUV with Cassian. Only that didn’t happen. Out stepped two guards, Liu, and a woman, but no Cassian. Mac glanced at Murdoc to gage how he was taking this development and found a confused grin on his lips. 

“Who’s the woman?” Jack asked, just loud enough for them to hear. Mac was wondering the same thing honestly. 

“My wife,” Murdoc said. Surprise and shock filtered through Mac at the answer. Murdoc didn’t seem like the type to get married, nor anyone to marry him. But here this woman was and apparently Murdoc had lied about killing Cassian’s mother. 

“Hi, cupcake. You’re looking well.” The woman gave Murdoc a smile that didn’t quite seem real. Murdoc looked between her and Liu but didn’t say anything. 

“Where’s Cassian?” Mac asked, steering the conversation along. Liu glanced at him before remaining focused on Murdoc. Who was still confused and thinking about something. 

“First the money, then the boy.”

“Yeah, we don’t have it on us,” Jack said. Lui was asking for five million dollars in exchange for Cassian like Murdoc had told them. Which none of them had on hand but Murdoc was going to give up his bank account details instead. And that no doubt had more than five million in it. 

“I’ll give the details on how to get into my bank account. It’s far easier.” Murdoc listed off all that was needed while one of the guards wrote it down. Then Lui was checking out the information on a phone to make sure Murdoc hadn’t lied. 

“Good. The boy is a quarter mile away in a tire plant.” Lui started to turn back to the SUV when Murdoc spoke up. 

“If he is harmed, in any way. I will find you.” The threat only made Lui laugh. 

“He’s in perfect health.” Mac watched the man get to the passenger side of the car before turning back to the woman. She was still standing there staring at Murdoc. “Cookie. Shall we?” The woman gave Murdoc another smile before moving for the car as well. 

“What about Cassian?” It felt like a desperate attempt to Mac but he wasn’t going to judge. Murdoc had had a rough few days just to find out that his wife was back and no longer wanted anything to do with him or their son apparently. It was shit deal. The woman stopped at the open door and looked over her shoulder at them. 

“You wanted him. He’s yours.” The woman slid into the back seat while Lui got in the passenger. They watched them drive away in silence. Jack looked to Mac then Murdoc, trying to decide what to do from there. Cassian was their first priority, but Murdoc no doubt wanted to do something about his wife and Lui. 

“You get Cassian, boy scout.” Murdoc started walking towards the car and opened the back seat. He pulled out two radios. “Tell me when you have him.” One of the radios was handed to Mac and neither of them questioned how Murdoc had gotten his hands on them. 

“And where do you plan on going?” Jack wasn’t going to let him go out on his own like this. It was clear he was edging on a breakdown. 

“To get closure.” The assassin started walking for the blue truck they passed in an empty space near the buildings. Jack shared a look with Mac before nodding and taking off after Murdoc. Murder was most certainly going to happen if he let the man go off on his own. It was quiet between them as Murdoc shot the window out of the driver’s side door and hotwired it. The passenger door was unlocked for Jack to slip inside. 

Murdoc took off out of the lot and down the street, making turns along the way. Jack was quick to put on his seat belt when he noticed what he was going to do. The SUV was coming at them from the opposite way with no intentions of stopping. When they impacted it was harsh and fast. Jack was sure he blacked out for a moment because when he opened his eyes Murdoc was slipping out of the truck. The man could barely stand but he had the gun in his hand, his cast holding his abdomen from some no doubt bruising. Blinking away his own pain, Jack tried to get his seat belt off. It was jammed. A door opened from the other vehicle and then came a gunshot. The same happened with the next door opening. Jack finally got his belt off and slipped out the truck to see what Murdoc was doing. The two guards laid dead in the road.

“Ah, I need you to step away from the vehicle please.” Murdoc waved the gun at the SUV. Jack went around the back of the truck as the woman and Lui stumbled out of the broken car. “Hands!”

“Listen, Murdoc, we can work something out,” Lui said. He was in worse shape than the woman. Jack came up behind Murdoc but didn’t reach out for the gun just yet. Murdoc made a shushing noise before reaching into his pocket to dig out the other radio. 

“Macgyver, do you have Cassian?” The radio crackled for a moment. 

_ “Yeah, I got him. He’s fine.” _

“That’s excellent news.” Murdoc held the radio out to Jack, who was hesitant to take it but did so anyway. “Well, not for you.” Two shots went into Lui before Jack could do anything to stop it. He dropped the radio and moved for the gun. Murdoc turned it on him but only made a motion for him to step back. When Jack did so, Murdoc turned back to his wife. Who had her eyes closed and was cringing. “Not much surprises me anymore. But you just did! I’m no one’s moral compass, Amber, but seriously. What the hell’s wrong with you? Using our son to get money?” 

“I guess I wasn’t cut out for motherhood.” Jack could agree with that. That woman was probably worse than Murdoc, at least he cares about Cassian. She dropped her hands. “Is that so surprising? Just get it over with, cupcake.”

“I should, cookie. God, I really should, but I won’t.” Murdoc lowered the gun. Jack was tempted to try and take it from him, but he already said he wasn’t going to kill her. Which he couldn’t exactly trust but for now he could. 

“You always were so sentimental.” 

“Oh, this isn’t about you. You are dead to me. This is about Cassian. I can’t tell my son that I killed his mother,” Murdoc said. 

“Then what happens now?” The gun was raised again and aimed at her face.

“You disappear. You never come near Cassian again. I think you know what will happen if you do.” Amber gave an almost silent laugh and bent over slightly at his words. 

“You think you’re fit to raise a child?” Jack certainly didn’t think either of them were fit. Both were psychopaths but Murdoc had put in the effort and time already. It was worth something, just not a lot. Cassian wouldn’t be safe with either parent, frankly. 

“Actually, no. But thanks to my little jaunt down memory lane, it’s become clear to me what’s best for him.” 

“What does that mean?” Amber for the first time since Jack has seen her seemed like she might be invested in Cassian. It wouldn’t matter in the end, he was coming into federal protection after this. 

“None of your concern. Now, run along.” Murdoc waved the gun at her until she started walking away. Then he dropped it on the ground and turned to Jack. There was blood covering his face from his nose and a busted open scab on his forehead. Jack didn’t say anything as they both started for the tire plant they had passed. 

It didn’t take but ten minutes for them to reach the building. Murdoc couldn’t walk in a straight line so Jack limped right next to him in case something happened. He was beaten before the car wreck and now it was a miracle he wasn’t passed out. The second they came into view of the sliding doors Cassian was calling out and running towards Murdoc. Who dropped to one knee despite the pain to hug his son. 

“Oh, hey, buddy.” Murdoc grimaced at the tight grip but let Cassian pull away on his own time. When he did, Mac and Jack watched Murdoc brush back the hair on the kid’s forehead. “I was so worried about you. Are you okay?”

“Uh-huh. You don’t look so good.” 

“I’m fine. Inside.” He tapped on his chest with a little smile. If there had ever been a doubt that Murdoc cared about his son it was gone in that moment. “Now that I know you’re okay.”

“Where’s mommy?” The question had Mac looking from Jack to Murdoc, who glanced up at him. Jack gave a universal okay symbol to show Mac that Amber got away just fine. Well, maybe not fine, but she wasn’t dead.

“Mom had to go on a business trip, a very long one.” There was a small laugh on the edge of the words. “The biological got away. But Lui and his friends didn’t.” The last part was said to Mac, who was the only one still wondering. “Stay right here, okay, pal?” Murdoc struggled to his feet and didn’t fight off the help Jack gave him. Once he was on his feet the three of them took a few steps away from Cassian.

“Right, you’ve got your son back. It’s time for all of us to hit the road back to LA,” Jack said. Murdoc grimaced and gave a nod. 

“I want to come to an arrangement, if you think Matilda would be willing.” 

“You’re going into federal custody, Murdoc. Which means Cassian goes into federal protection.” They all knew how this was supposed to go. But for some reason it didn’t sit right with Mac, or Jack for that matter. Murdoc was a dangerous criminal and deserved to be put behind bars, but he was also in need of serious therapy. From just that little tidbit they had seen in the prison, Murdoc’s father had been a nightmare and they couldn’t imagine what that must have been like growing up. It really wasn’t a surprise how Murdoc turned out from what they learned. That type of abuse, mental, emotional, and physical, could shape a person for their entire life. He honestly needed therapy long before this point, but he could still benefit from it now. 

“We’ll work out something with Matty, ‘Doc.” Jack patted Murdoc’s shoulder softly, but still drew a hiss of pain from him. “Let’s get home. There’s a shower calling my name.” 

Once back in LA Cassian was taken away from Murdoc and Matty started getting to work on fitting him with a loving family. Murdoc was treated for his injuries then locked in a holding cell until Phoenix got everything worked out. Before Jack and Mac could go home and take showers they were brought to the War Room for debriefing on all that had occurred during the mission. When they entered they found crime scene photos of the Correctional Facility up on the wall. Matty was facing them with a carefully blank expression while Riley and Bozer looked more upset and sort of angry. 

“First, I’d like to congratulate you both on a complete mission. We can discuss Murdoc in a moment, if you were going to ask.” Mac closed his mouth and gave Matty nod. He was going to ask about Murdoc, yes. “Second, I’d like to know what really happened there. You never leave such a mess behind or whatever that was.” Matty turned to Riley and nodded for her to do something. A file came up on one Chris Montgomery. “We knew you were lying about something, so Riley looked into the dead man.”

“Christopher Montgomery, head of security at the Correctional Facility. Fifty-six, no living family that anyone knows of, married and divorced once, and had a son.” Riley did something on her laptop and several police reports came up. “He also had the police called on him and his house on multiple occasions in an eighteen year period. From 1982 through 2000 there had been over a hundred 911 calls placed for his address.”

“Most of them were noise complaints, but only a few of them were ever publicly recorded.” Bozer stepped in to direct what the reports on the wall were showing. Mac already knew where these were going. “All of them included reports of Montgomery being drunk and violent, both towards the police and his family. Most notably his son after a certain point in time.” A single report came up with a picture of a smiling six year-old boy with a dark haired woman. Obviously she was the boy’s mother for they looked so much alike; and the little boy was Murdoc, but only Jack and Mac knew that. 

“Montgomery was never charged with child abuse or assault in any of the reports. He clearly had friends on the police force for that to happen.” There was a blurry photo that came up with Matty’s words. A teenage boy was shone sitting on a porch holding a bloody rag to his nose while Montgomery was being questioned by a couple of police officers. “His wife disappeared in 1993 but according to a report, Montgomery said Victoria Cellius filed for divorce and gave up her rights to their son before leaving. There was no need to look further into it. Which left their son, Dennis, within Montgomery’s care.” Another file came up with a school photo of Dennis and all of his school records. 

“I did some digging into this Dennis kid once it was clear he had just disappeared once he turned eighteen,” Riley said. “The kid was probably a genius of some sort. He kept his grades all at hundred percent somehow or damn near for all of his schooling. Graduated high school has valedictorian and had several full ride scholarships to any college or university he could pick from. But he just fell off the face of the earth. Nothing has been seen or heard of him since the summer after his graduation.” The picture of Dennis at his graduation was up on the screen; and damn did almost look like adult Murdoc. “So I ran this picture through an aging process to see if we could find him, and look who it is.” A near exact picture of Murdoc came up next to the other. 

“So, do you two care to explain?” Matty turned to Jack and Mac with an expectant expression. 

“I’m just gonna come out and say it, the world is a better place without a man like Montgomery in it,” Jack said. The shouts and grunts and general sounds of a fight echoed in his mind from those hours he had been forced to stand guard outside that cell. Then the pictures that both Montgomery and Murdoc had painted of a violent, bloody, and heart-breaking childhood that he couldn’t get out of his brain. He didn’t think he’d ever like Murdoc but at least now he understood.

“We all already know that Murdoc killed him, and I’m not condoning murder of any kind, but if I’m being honest. I didn’t try to stop him.” Mac knew he probably could have gotten the gun away from Murdoc with the state he was in. It just didn’t feel right to do so. Murder was a terrible thing, yes, but the world would only benefit with Montgomery gone.

“With what we have learned of Montgomery and Murdoc. This case is being kept under wraps and quiet,” Matty said. Riley cleared away everything on the screen so it just showed a few foster families that Matty had been looking into for Cassian. “But we still need to deal with Murdoc.”

“Whether my opinion matters or not,” Jack started, “You should really look into getting him some therapy sessions. And good ones.” 

“Yes, thank you, Jack. I had already planned on that.” Matty moved to the chairs and leaned on the edge of the table. Mac sat down across from her while Jack took his other side and Bozer sat in the one across from Riley. “What is to happen to Murdoc is going to be a big decision. Given certain circumstances, mainly him escaping a supermax already, I've been thinking on a new way to keep Murdoc in federal custody.” There were several ways this conversation could go, and hardly any of them were positive. It made Mac a little nervous. “Since you broke out of prison I’ve been in contact with Oversight and several other legal industries. And there’s still a long way to go with negotiations, but how would you all feel about Murdoc joining the Phoenix?”

“Joining? Like, joining joining? Our team joining?” Bozer looked between Matty and the rest of them. It was a crazy idea and hardly seemed like a punishment for someone like Murdoc. 

“Not initially. He would be on a house arrest period within the building for several months, possibly years, then a probation period of several years. He won’t be allowed to leave the country and only join on missions critical for his skill set.” Mac could tell Bozer and Riley weren’t certain on how to feel about the news. He wasn’t either but he had to be taking it better than they were. Even Jack seemed unfazed by Matty’s deal. 

“Sure. We keep the ‘Doc, get him help, then soon he joins the team. As long he’s not allowed to actually work with us for a long while.” Jack shrugged with his words. It would give him the chance to keep an eye on Murdoc, and not need to make up a reason to ask about how he was doing in therapy. 

“I’m game surprisingly. I mean, it seemed like he’s pretty much given up everything for his son, and this probably is the best plan for both of them,” Riley said. She sort of felt for Murdoc, her childhood was different from his but she knew what it is like to have a drunk father that beat on her mom. Their situations turned out differently, but she very well could have ended up permanently on the bad side of things like he had. 

“Yeah, I was actually planning to suggest something like this if you didn’t, Matty. It’s not a bad idea. But we’ll have to keep a close watch on him.” Murdoc was still a dangerous assassin and murderer, so there were going to be some very strict procedures and rules to follow. “So, Bozer? You think you can work with Murdoc?”

“Fine, fine.” Bozer tossed his hands up in defeat. “But I’m not gonna be the one to tell Leanna when she comes back from her op.” 

Murdoc was looking better after a couple days but nothing could take away the bruising still on his face. When Mac and Matty entered the interrogation room he looked up from the table to give them a grin. They got down to business the second they took the seats across from the man. Telling him that Cassian was put with a loving foster family was done first and Mac could see the gratitude in his eyes that his thank you didn’t express. Say anything you wanted about Murdoc, he had been trying to be a good dad. Then visitation was talked about and eventually the deal that Matty had worked out. Murdoc was to be confined to the Phoenix building on ‘house arrest’ for two years then seven years probation on the team where he couldn’t leave the country and eventually if they decided he could do it, he would be allowed on out of country missions. The one big deal breaker that there might have been was that he had to be in therapy for two hours each day, indefinitely. 

He was given a day to come to a decision. If he didn’t take the deal he was going to another supermax without the possibility of ever seeing Cassian again. Exactly a day later Matty and Mac were back in the same room. Murdoc was going to take the deal.


End file.
